1. Field
The present disclosure relates to methods of processing and inspecting semiconductor wafers.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
A miniaturized devices, such as a semiconductor devices, are manufactured by applying a plurality of processing steps to a semiconductor wafer. The processing may include a film forming processing to provide a resist layer on the substrate, an exposure processing to expose portions of the resist, a post-exposure bake processing, a development processing, an etching processing to etch exposed or non-exposed portions of the resist, a deposition processing to deposit material at exposed or non-exposed portions of the resist, and other suitable processings. The processings are controlled using suitable processing parameters, such as temperatures, concentrations, exposure doses and other settings. In view of a high throughput of the manufacture it is necessary to control each of the processings based on corresponding parameters such that a desired result is achieved at each processing. Inspection of the semiconductor wafer can be performed after one or more of the applied processings. Based on an inspection result it is possible to adjust one or more of the processing parameters.
The inspection can be performed using suitable inspection tools to measure various properties of the semiconductor wafer and of microstructures formed thereon. Some inspection tools use optical methods for inspecting the wafer and may generate images of the wafer which can be further analyzed to confirm that the processing is performed as desired or to determine defects in the processed wafer. Optical inspection tools are generally divided into micro-defect inspection tools and macro-defect inspection tools.
Micro-defect inspection tools aim to detect deficiencies in the smallest manufactured microstructures having dimensions of 0.1 μm and below. An advantage of micro-defect inspection tools is that a geometry or other properties of a microstructure can be directly verified and that deficiencies in these microstructures can be directly shown. A disadvantage of micro-defect inspection tools is the long time needed for inspection and the high amount of generated data which have to be processed if the whole surface of the substrate is to be inspected. If only portions of the surface of the substrate are inspected due to time considerations, there is a risk that certain deficiencies are not detected.
Macro-defect inspection tools aim to achieve a high throughput at the cost of a lower sensitivity to defects and at lower spatial resolution of the generated images. Macro-defect inspection tools have an advantage in that large portions of the substrates or the complete substrates can be inspected within a short time, and they have a disadvantage in that the smallest manufactured microstructures are not directly imaged to detect deficiencies in those microstructures.
It is desirable to extend the applicability of macro-inspection tools and to obtain more detailed inspection information from a semiconductor wafer with a high throughput.
It is further desirable to use information obtained using a macro-defect inspection tool in a manufacturing process of semiconductor wafer.